


Frail

by HotaruGFC (JaclynGFC)



Series: Snapshots: Inktober 2019 prompts [6]
Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, Inktober 2019, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 00:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20985455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaclynGFC/pseuds/HotaruGFC
Summary: Day 8 of the 2019 Inktober prompts (I think, I'm a little behind.)Asta visits Henry.





	Frail

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why, but I felt the need to write this in the first person. I hope it's not a bother.

"How are you doing today?" 

I lift my head at the sound and open my eyes. The action has become easier over the last few years, but I still have my moments when even the simplest of movements are draining. But Asta's smiling face never fails to cheer me up on even the worst of days. 

"I'm... alright..." I want to talk faster, to make my mouth move as fast as my mind, but I can't. Not today. Not yet. I had been growing weaker over the last several days when I had been stabilized and getting stronger for years before. I knew something had happened. The mana in the house had dropped drastically. 

And now, looking at Asta, I see I am not the only one suffering. His arms are bandaged and held in a sling to keep him from moving them. Not that he didn't try to anyway.

"What... happened...?" My voice cracked and Asta moved to my side. He reached for a pitcher of water only to stop. I didn't like the dark cloud which passed over his face as he brought his arms to rest against his chest.

"I, uh, well, I hurt my arms." His voice held a sadness I could not imagine coming from him. "The doc says..." He forced a smile as he looked at me, but I could tell something darker lived behind it. "The doc says I should be fine with plenty of rest."

He was lying. 

"But enough about me. Are you alright? We were gone for a while." He used his foot to drag a chair beside my bed. I leveraged myself up onto my elbows and eventually up to a seated position. 

"I... said... I'm... alright... A... little... tired... but... I'll... be... o...kay..." 

"That's good." He sighed. He started telling me about everything which had happened, the places they had gone, the wonders they had seen. He always shared such amazing stories about his adventures. I could hardly imagine the worlds he described. The people they met sounded fascinating. I always wanted to meet people. Even those they fought captured my imagination. I would have liked to help them in the battle. 

And then Asta turned quiet for a moment. His gaze seemed to turn inwards and then he looked at his arms. 

But the moment was fleeting before his cheery self returned. He told me about the friends he had met and how he ran into his brother, Yuno while they were in the capital. He rambled about how strong Yuno had gotten, but also about how amazing Finral and Charmy were in helping the citizens.

"I... wish... I... could... be... there... with... every... one... I... wish... they... knew... how... much... they... mean... to... me..."

"You will be able to tell them one day. Soon, I'm sure. You were starting to get stronger. I can tell because the base was changing more."

My heart warmed and my face ached from the effort in my muscles as a small uncontrollable smile spread on my lips. To have someone notice brought me more joy than I could find words to describe.

"May... be... you... are... right..."

"Of course I am." He nodded his head confidently and then glanced at his arms. "We're Black Bulls. We're stubborn to a fault. We don't quit; we don't give up. You'll find a way to get out of that bed and join us. I know it."

"And... you... will... find... a... way... to... fix... your... arms..."

He stopped, blinked, and looked at me as if I had surprised him. The room was dim, but I could see the blush on his cheeks. 

"I... You're right. I will. Because I'll never give up."

We sat in comfortable silence for a long moment as the birds called to roost in the rafters. I watched the patterns of their flight and how they all settled into their fixed places.   
The only bird which did not join them was the one perched on Asta's head. That bird, Nero as Asta had called it, never fit in with the other birds. That bird was different, strange. It watched me with intelligence as I had never seen. It looked at me like no other bird. It looked at me like Asta did.

"Well, I gotta go. I'm supposed to go take care of Captain Yami's animals before they start trying to eat each other. I'm glad you're doing well, Henry."

"Thank... you... Asta... for... vi... si... ting..." 

He nodded as he stood. He gave me a brilliant flash of a smile--a smile filled with hope and promise before he left and night fell on my room. 

In the darkness, I always felt my frailness the most keenly. For years, I felt helpless in the dark, but now, with the strength I am gathering from the precious friends who have been gathered within the walls of my abode, and with Asta's strength and resilience, I knew I had nothing to fear in the darkness.

My only hope?

To one day be able to repay all those who have sustained me without even knowing I am here. 

One day.

Soon, perhaps.

As Asta said.


End file.
